I Never Knew We Were Poor

I Never Knew We Were Poor provides an account of my childhood in the first ward of Newark, New Jersey, before the middle of the twentieth century. This is a story of a time and place removed from this point in time. Isolated. Many people can empathize with the deplorable conditions described in the book, but only those who have experienced them can truly understand them. It is a testimony to the fact that suffering and want are not prejudiced to nor by ethnicity, nationality, or sex. More so, it is the significance of love, ingenuity, commitment, and relationships in overcoming the problems that life throws at us and uplifting our experiences. There is also a compelling spiritual essence that is difficult to ignore. This is a story I thought about writing for years. No research nor fact-finding has been done to corroborate my recounting. Reality needs no rationalization. The result is a stream of recollections of an old man of what used to be and how it has evolved into what is.

-- Orazio